05-21-2009, 04:40 AM
welcome Tim and Dave.
Sounds like you have already connected with some folks of like values.
I would only caution, that if you really want to fit in and be a part of Hawai'i, that coming here with a sense that any particular value set is better than another is a form of being judgmental - even the value of preserving the forest.
You will find people who were born here who don't have the same eco-sensibility, who may even care less about having junk cars around, who may like to have a lawn, whatever.
And there are many locals here who DO want the American Dream, so that is something to understand as well, that you are still going to be alternative.
The single biggest trap I see people fall into (and this is my opinion only), is thinking that they are a different kind of mainlander because of coming over with a very green philosophy. That is still imposing your philosophy on people who don't want newbies coming over and changing the way of life.
So if you tread lightly in the arena of live and let live, as well as thinking of your footprint in the forest, it's a lot easier to get to know people. I am friends with my local neighbors, by learning their ways and how to talk to them and how they think. They don't really understand my world, so I look for whatever areas we have common ground and make the most of them, and minimize the differences.
There are all kinds of local viewpoints, from those who hate the bulldozers, to those who run the bulldozers. It's like anywhere else. It's not a Utopia here. There are some locals who like the counter culture and others who are totally bugged by it; there is tolerance and intolerance of it.
What I'm struggling to say is that you ask to be accepted because you want to save the forest. Well, that doesn't matter to everyone here. (not speaking for myself, but in general). What matters more is that you learn the ways here, learn to fit in, and learn to do your thing without pissing people off because you are so into your own ideas. That includes trying to "educate" people. It is not welcomed here for malihini to set themselves up as educators to people whose families have been here for generations.
The first thing a local will tell me is how long they have been here, how long their family has been here. To them, that is what establishes their connection to the island, not their philosophy. The longer you are here, the more respect you will get. There is a process of paying one's dues and proving one is here to stay, by staying, not talking.
In the interim, there are plenty of other transplants to welcome you, who don't care about such things.
I've been here seven years, and I am only starting to have enough longevity where I get a little respect, and it isn't automatic, but when I show that I understand pidgin, know the plants, know the weather, can pronounce the names, know something about this that and the other thing and have assimilated, I am treated far differently than I was back when I was new.
Sounds like you have already connected with some folks of like values.
I would only caution, that if you really want to fit in and be a part of Hawai'i, that coming here with a sense that any particular value set is better than another is a form of being judgmental - even the value of preserving the forest.
You will find people who were born here who don't have the same eco-sensibility, who may even care less about having junk cars around, who may like to have a lawn, whatever.
And there are many locals here who DO want the American Dream, so that is something to understand as well, that you are still going to be alternative.
The single biggest trap I see people fall into (and this is my opinion only), is thinking that they are a different kind of mainlander because of coming over with a very green philosophy. That is still imposing your philosophy on people who don't want newbies coming over and changing the way of life.
So if you tread lightly in the arena of live and let live, as well as thinking of your footprint in the forest, it's a lot easier to get to know people. I am friends with my local neighbors, by learning their ways and how to talk to them and how they think. They don't really understand my world, so I look for whatever areas we have common ground and make the most of them, and minimize the differences.
There are all kinds of local viewpoints, from those who hate the bulldozers, to those who run the bulldozers. It's like anywhere else. It's not a Utopia here. There are some locals who like the counter culture and others who are totally bugged by it; there is tolerance and intolerance of it.
What I'm struggling to say is that you ask to be accepted because you want to save the forest. Well, that doesn't matter to everyone here. (not speaking for myself, but in general). What matters more is that you learn the ways here, learn to fit in, and learn to do your thing without pissing people off because you are so into your own ideas. That includes trying to "educate" people. It is not welcomed here for malihini to set themselves up as educators to people whose families have been here for generations.
The first thing a local will tell me is how long they have been here, how long their family has been here. To them, that is what establishes their connection to the island, not their philosophy. The longer you are here, the more respect you will get. There is a process of paying one's dues and proving one is here to stay, by staying, not talking.
In the interim, there are plenty of other transplants to welcome you, who don't care about such things.
I've been here seven years, and I am only starting to have enough longevity where I get a little respect, and it isn't automatic, but when I show that I understand pidgin, know the plants, know the weather, can pronounce the names, know something about this that and the other thing and have assimilated, I am treated far differently than I was back when I was new.